Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Fifth Sunday in Lent - 04/02/17 Sermon - “The shortest verse of scripture"

Sunday 04/02/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “The shortest verse of scripture”

Old Testament Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Romans 8:6-11

Gospel Lesson: John 11:1-45

          My friends, my brothers and sisters, welcome again on this the Fifth Sunday in this season of Holy Lent. This season where we are called to prepare our hearts, our minds, and our souls for the coming crucifixion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

          Next Sunday, we will celebrate Palm Sunday, with the waving of Palm branches to the shouts of “Hosanna”. The season of Holy Lent will then continue through Saturday, or the day before Easter Sunday. I hope and pray that this season in the life of the church has been a time of renewal and a time of growing closer to Jesus Christ, for both you and for your family.

          With this said, this morning I am going to talk about the shortest verse of scripture in the entire Bible. When I say the shortest verse of scripture, I don’t mean the shortest book of the Bible, or even the shortest chapter. I mean, the shortest single verse of scripture. For example, John 3:16 is one singular verse of scripture.

          Does anyone here this morning know what the shortest verse of scripture in the entire Bible is?

          Generally speaking, the shortest verse in the entire Bible is John 11:35, which says, “Jesus began to weep” (Jn. 11:35, NRSV). Now the verse that I just read to you is from the New Revised Standard Version translation. Let me read to you though what John 11:35 says from the New King James Version. In the New King James Version it says, “Jesus wept” (Jn. 11:35, NKJV). In the New International Version, or what we sometimes refer to as the “NIV,” it also says, “Jesus wept” (Jn. 11:35, NIV).

          Depending on your Bible translation there is one other verse of scripture that is sometimes a tie with John 11:35 for it shortness. This scripture is 1 Thessalonians 5:16 that says in the New Revised Standard Version, “Rejoice always” (1 Thess. 5:16, NRSV). Some other translations might also vary in length on this verse, but to be fair there are two verses that rival each other for the shortest verses in the Bible.

          In preaching this morning about the shortest verse in the Bible however, my intention wasn’t to just have a history lesson about the shortest verse in the Bible, but rather on this Fifth Sunday in Lent to discuss the significance of this the shortest verse of the Bible. This verse once again is John 11:35, that says “Jesus wept” (Jn. 11:35, NKJV).

          You see, since the time that Jesus walked the earth almost two-thousand years ago, much of human kind has been fascinated by him or curious about him. The things he said, the things he did, and the claims that he made. Jesus is arguably the most famous figure in the history of the world.

Jesus also made some great claims about who he was. For example, Jesus Christ said of his Lordship in the gospel of John 14:6, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6, NRSV).

          In the gospel of John 1:14 it says of Jesus Christ, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14, NRSV). This means that God was made flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

          The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 2:9 of Jesus Christ, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9, NRSV). This means that the Apostle Paul is saying that Jesus Christ was no mere man, but that he was fully God and fully human.  

          In fact, Jesus Christ himself says in John 14:9b, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”. (Jn. 14:9b, NRSV).

          I have given you these scriptural examples to reinforce that the majority of the early Christians and the majority of Christians for the last two-thousands have believed that Jesus Christ wasn’t just a man, but was also fully God.

          Every year then on Good Friday, we remember and reflect on how Jesus Christ, the fullness of God and fullness of a man, died on a cross for the forgiveness of the sins of the world. By our natures we tend to be broken and sinful, and only God can reconcile us to our sinful nature. Specifically, God took on flesh in the name of Jesus Christ, lived a sinless life, came to seek and save the lost, and die for our sins. Through the forgiveness offered by Jesus Christ, we can be reconciled to God, and we can be forgiven.

          Yet this morning, my sermon, as I said, is about John 11:35 that says, “Jesus wept” (Jn. 11:35, NKJV). While the historical Christian belief is that Jesus was divine, or fully God, he was also fully human.

          As humans we experience suffering, we sometimes cry, we sometimes have great joy. As humans we have days that we wish would never end, and we have days that we feel like we should have never gotten out of bed.

          What makes the Christian faith so powerful to me and many, is that not only did God create the heavens and the earth. Not only does God come to us in the form of the Holy Spirit, but God psychically and bodily came amongst us in the form of Jesus Christ. This is what makes our Christian faith so powerful, is that we make the claim that God came amongst us, wrapped in flesh, and experienced what we experience.

          The God man, Jesus Christ experienced thirst, hunger, pain, joy, exhaustion, worry, and etc. This morning, Jesus Christ, the God man, our savior, weeps. God in the flesh cries, with tears likely falling all over his cheeks. The magnitude of who Jesus Christ is to me and to so many, especially in this season of Holy Lent cannot be greater.

          This is the same Jesus who had righteous anger at the temple, when people were cheating people as money changers, or selling animals to sacrifice at a premium. Jesus flipped the tables and displayed righteous anger. He was God, but was also human.

          Jesus is the person of God who was among us, who experienced what we do, and on this day, who wept with us. For I believe my sisters and brothers that when we suffer, that God suffers with us.

          Jesus Christ also came to earth to give us life, love, and light. The Book of Ezekiel reading from this morning talks about dry bones having new life. Jesus came and comes still to bring new life to dry bones. He came to be with us, and give us new life.

          While Jesus was God in the flesh, the Apostle Paul encourages us in Romans 8:6-11 to no be focused on our flesh, but to be instead be focused on God, on the Spirit of God. The Apostle Paul tell us that in the flesh is death, “but to see the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6, NRSV).

          For many of us then as Christians we have a perpetual struggle between our flesh and our souls. For so many of us we so often look at the world, when we should be looking to heaven. Who better then to understand our human condition than Jesus Christ, who came into our human condition? He endured what we do, he lived as we do, and he gets it. This is what makes Jesus Christ so wonderful, and part of what qualifies him to be our all sufficient Lord and Savior.

          In our lengthy gospel of John reading for this morning, we have one of the many Biblical miracles attributed to Jesus Christ. In this gospel story, a man named “Lazarus of Bethany,” the brother of Mary and Martha was very sick.

          When Jesus received this news of Lazarus’ illness though, he said of sick Lazarus, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (Jn. 11:4, NRSV).

          The gospel then says that Jesus remained where he was for another two days, and during this time Lazarus had died (Jn. 11:7-14, NRSV). Jesus was about 18-miles away from Bethany, where Lazarus was. Even though Lazarus had died, Jesus had told his disciples that Lazarus was sleeping, but that he would awaken him (Jn. 11:7-14, NRSV).

          The gospel goes on to say, “When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days” (Jn. 11:17, NRSV). Some people struggle with this gospel story as they wonder why Jesus would let Lazarus die. Jesus said that he would raise Lazarus so that people might have faith in him, but Lazarus’s death was still painful for many.

          How painful, when Jesus arrives he finds great grieving and sadness over the death of Lazarus. In fact Lazarus’ sister Martha went to Jesus and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again” (Jn. 11:19-23, NRSV).

          Martha, Lazarus’s sister then responds to Jesus by saying of Lazarus, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (Jn. 11:24, NRSV). Jesus then said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (Jn. 11:25-26, NRSV). Martha then agreed with Jesus about what he said about himself, and after this, Martha went and told her sister Mary what Jesus had said (Jn. 11:27-28, NRSV).

          When Mary then came to see Jesus, who grieving heavily, the gospel says that “She knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you have been here, my brother would have not died” (Jn. 11:29-32, NRSV).

          The gospel then says, “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved” (Jn. 11:33, NRSV). You see brothers and sisters, Jesus gets it, and he gets us.

          Jesus then says of Lazarus, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see” (Jn. 11:34, NRSV).

          The next verse of scripture, based on your translation of the Bible is the shortest verse of scripture. In John 11:35 is says, “Jesus began to weep,” or “Jesus wept” (Jn. 11:35, NRSV, NKJV). Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, who was fully God and fully man, saw the suffering Mary and others. So moved by this was the savior that he “wept” (Jn. 11:35, NRSV).  

          This is powerful for me, as it shows me that the Jesus Christ that I follow isn’t just divine, but was also human as we are. The Jesus we love and follow is acquainted with our human condition, and because of this, Jesus Christ knows what suffering us. Jesus suffers with us when we suffer. Jesus is for us.

          Many of us know the rest of this story, as Jesus ordered the stone moved away from Lazarus’s tomb, Jesus prayed that Lazarus would be raised from the dead, so that we might believe in him. Jesus then he ordered Lazarus to be raised (Jn. 11:38-43, NRSV).

The gospel then ends with Lazarus being raised from the dead, being unbound from his body wrappings, and many believed in Jesus as a result of this (Jn. 11:44-45, NRSV).

          To me, this is a powerful story of the power of God, the power of faith, and of who Jesus Christ was and is. In addition to this, I am drawn to the shortest verse of scripture, because to me it shows me much more, how human Jesus was. That Jesus was amongst us that suffered with us, and that on Good Friday he suffered for us.

          I believe my sisters and brothers that in our suffering that God is with us, and that Jesus Christ knows and understands our suffering. As the church, we are also called to walk to together, to laugh together, and to suffer together, as this is what Jesus Christ, the savior of the world modeled to us.

May we seek him this day and always. May we also be with each other, when we weep, when we laugh, and when we hurt, for this is what Jesus our Lord taught us all. Amen.

           

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - Fourth Sunday in Lent/UMCOR Sunday - 03/26/17 Sermon - “The significance of Psalm 23"

Sunday 03/26/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “The significance of Psalm 23”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 23

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Ephesians 5:8-14

Gospel Lesson: John 9:1-41

          Welcome and good morning again my brothers and sisters, my friends, or “Buenos Dias” as they say in Nicaragua.

          Today we are in this our Fourth Sunday of the Season of Holy Lent. This is the season where we for Forty-Days, prepare our hearts, our minds, and our souls, for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many of the people that I met in Nicaragua are also celebrating this season as well, as they are in anticipation of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord, just like we are.

          This season of Holy Lent will then soon become Holy Week, on Palm Sunday, which is Sunday April 9^th. In that week, will have a Holy/Maundy Thursday service, where we will relive the Last Supper, the washing of the feet, and the call to love each other more. The next night, we will have a Good Friday worship service, and we will remember and reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

          This holy season that we are living though, ends with resurrection and with victory. Perhaps for some us this morning, as it says in Psalm 23, we are “walking through the valley of the shadow of death” in our own lives (Ps. 23:4, KJV). Yet we are told in this Psalm that no matter what, that our God, that Jesus Christ is with us. If we are suffering, if we are broken, if we are sad, God is with us.

          I have read the Twenty-Third Psalm at many funerals, and on other occasions. In reading this scripture it often tells us that person who has just died, or the person who is struggling is going from this earth to the next place. That God is with them, and with us.

          For many of us, as this scripture is written, Psalm 23 is personal, and about us and God. While this is true, the Christian Church, which is worldwide, doesn’t function this way. You see I learned like never before after being in the country of Nicaragua for two-weeks, that not only is God with us when we are “walking through the valley of the shadow of death,” but that we can walk through the valley together (Ps. 23:4, KJV). This is why we have the church.

          This Sunday as some of you may know is UMCOR Sunday. For those who don’t know, UMCOR is the United Methodist Committee on Relief. They are the relief organization that aides in disasters, help, recovering, and many other things. They are the official relief agency for the entire worldwide United Methodist Church. Some of the money that UMCOR receives in fact, goes to where I just was in Nicaragua.

          The mission team group that I went with just spent a week fixing up a Maternal House or a “Casa Materna,” in a remote village in Eastern Nicaragua. Since this Maternal House or “Casa Materna” has been fixed up and restored, women who are near term to giving birth, will continue to have a safe place to have there babies. This building is equipped with a new kitchen, toilets, and medical care. For those who gave to this trip that I just went on, on this UMCOR Sunday, know that women will live and not die from childbirth in rural Nicaragua, because instead of these women “walking through the valley of the shadow of death” alone, you have decided to walk with them (Ps. 23:4, KJV). Sisters and brothers, thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

          In Nicaragua the Christian Church is also alive and well. New churches are being built all over the place, and the people have great faith. In addition to this great faith, the people live there faith. On this UMCOR Sunday, and every day we have the opportunity to “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” alone, or to walk through the valley together (Ps. 23:4, KJV).

          Brothers and sisters, as Christians we are called by the love of Jesus Christ, to be followers of Jesus Christ, and to proclaim Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of our lives. We are also called “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” together (Ps. 23:4, KJV).

          Christian churches that are growing in 2017 go beyond just belief, beyond just our own personal faiths, to a faith that reaches out and loves others. A faith that feeds the poor, serves the lesser-thans, and transforms this city and the world.

          So many of us know Psalm 23, and we know that God will be with us forever, but I wonder brothers and sisters, what if we didn’t “walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” alone (Ps. 23:4, KJV)? What if we walked it together?

          What if we realized how much God has blessed us here in the United States? What can we do as a church to transform the world? On this UMCOR Sunday, when we give to our United Methodist relief agency, you will be saving lives, because you decided that we shouldn’t “walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” alone (Ps. 23:4, KJV).

          You see brothers and sisters I believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world, and part of this hope, is in what God uses us to do each and every day. Our faith must be more than just what we believe, it must be what we do. The places we are willing to go, and the love that we are willing to extend. Churches that do that, are transforming the world for Jesus Christ. Since Jesus Christ is our hope, how can we be change in a world that knows so much pain, suffering, and hardship?

          When I was in Nicaragua last Sunday, I had the pleasure of worshiping with an Evangelical Methodist Church. While there, the president of the entire Evangelical Methodist Church of Nicaragua was present. He hugged or greeted every single person in that church. He then asked all the pastors visiting from the United States to come up front, and he gave us big bags of Nicaragua Coffee. So moved by this, I gave this head of the entire Evangelical Methodist Church of Nicaragua my wood cross necklace with the United Methodist logo on it. I have had this necklace for nearly five-years. As I gave this necklace to this great man, I told him that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. He looked at me with great love, and said amen, may we live it together.

          My brothers and sisters, it is not enough to just believe, we must also live it. The world out there is still filled with poverty, suffering, injustice, and hurting. We believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the hope of the world. So are we willing to then transform the world for Jesus Christ? Are we willing to go on a mission trip, or to raise money to put a water well in a poor country in Africa, or help people who are struggling, and or etc.

          The group that sponsored our United Methodist Volunteer in Mission Trip was called “Accion Medica Christiana” or “Christian Medical Action”. The scripture that this organization lives by Matthew 25:35 which says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt. 25:35, NRSV).

          If we truly have hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ then, are we then willing to live this out? When we put our beliefs into action my brothers and sisters, this is when we can change the world. How then has God called you to love, live, and change the world? Let me know, because I want to help to do what God has called you to do.

          The organization that sponsored out trip, the “Accion Medica Christiana” or “Christian Medical Action” presently supplies prescription drugs to 200,000 of the 6.2 million people that live in Nicaragua. This organization provides services and things that are unbelievable. I was even told by a leader, that if the churches and other non-governmental organizations left Nicaragua, the country might collapse. Sure its government does some, but for us who think that the gospel is the hope of the world, we do the rest.

          I just went my brothers and sisters, to a country that has very little, and in this country we have so much. I believe that I am understanding more then, what the global Christian Church is. That we are not just a church here, or in the United States, but we are worldwide church, living the hope we have in the gospel of the Jesus Christ.

          For as the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians, we are to “Live as children of light—for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true” (Eph. 5:8b-9, NRSV).

          In our gospel reading this morning, Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, tell us that he is the “light of the world” (Jn. 9:5b, NRSV). This morning in the gospel Jesus heals a blind man. The blind man, who can now see, say of Jesus Christ, “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (Jn. 9:25b, NRSV).

          My trip to Nicaragua opened my eyes more, and I seeing more clearly than ever before.

          Brothers and sisters, Psalm 23 says “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4, NRSV). I wonder though my sisters and brothers, if we need to walk alone? Churches that are growing and flourishing in 2017, believe that we must walk forward together.

          I want to share a story in closing for you, on this UMCOR giving Sunday. The first day that my mission team group was on the Eastern side of Nicaragua, we went to visit a remote indigenous village. These people we Native Americans, or Indigenous people.

          These people lived in simple wood houses, or huts. They did have electricity, and maybe television, but little else in the way of possessions. These people had virtually nothing.

          I then met the pastor of this small village. This pastor told me that about One-Hundred and Sixty years ago, Moravian Christian missionaries came and taught then about Jesus Christ and the gospel. The Moravian Church which is a sister denomination of the United Methodist Church is still every strong in Eastern Nicaragua.

          This pastor was proud of his local Moravian Church, and his people. He then told me that on March 14th of that week, that his village, his church would be taking a collection to help the starving people in different places in Africa. He told me, he was doing this because this is what Jesus has asked us to do.

          I almost burst into tears, as these people had virtually nothing, but this pastor was basically telling me that even though we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” that we won’t do it alone (Ps. 23:4, KJV)?

          They had very little, like women who gave the two copper coins in the Bible, yet they gave freely of what little they had.

          This is the gospel of Jesus Christ my brothers and sisters, and when we embrace it, and when we live it, God can use us to change the world!

Never underestimate you calling from God, and the power that God gives you to change the world each and every day!

May you all be blessed this day and always in the name of Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

         

Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC's - First Sunday in Lent - 03/05/17 Sermon - “Toe to toe with the devil"

Sunday 03/05/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s

Sermon Title: “Toe to toe with the devil”

Old Testament Scripture: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

                                            

New Testament Scripture: Romans 5:12-19

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 4:1-11

          My friends, my sisters and brothers, welcome once again on this the First Sunday in the season of Lent, or Great Lent, or Holy Lent. The season of Lent is a Forty-day season of spiritual reflection, repentance, renewal, and growth in faith, in preparation for the crucifixion and then the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. In this season, we are called to grow closer to Christ, and we also hope to grow more in love and in caring for others. For we have faith, but we must also try to live that faith out for others, each and every day.

The season of Lent begins every year on Ash Wednesday. This is the Wednesday that we receive the imposition the ashes on our foreheads, like we did this past Wednesday. This season then continues through Holy Saturday, which is the day before Easter Sunday, or Resurrection Sunday.

So why then is the season of growth, repentance, faith, and preparation for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, called “Lent,” and not called “the season before Easter”. To answer this, the Latin word “Quadragesima,” which means “Fortieth”, is the name for the 40-day period of Lent (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent). In the Old English, the word “len(c)ten” Lent is translated to mean “spring season” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent). If you count up the days from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday though, which is once again the day before Easter Sunday, there are actually 46-days in Lent, but Sundays don’t count during the Lenten Season. Jesus was resurrected on Easter Sunday, and because of this, every Sunday in the Christian faith, becomes a “mini-easter,” or a mini-resurrection celebration. During Lent therefore, Sundays are cheat days.

          As I said this past Wednesday at the Ash Wednesday service, we have plenty of examples of things occurring in the Bible in sevens, or forty’s, and etc. Some of these examples include Moses going up on Mount Sinai for forty-days, or Noah being in the Ark for forty-days, or the Israelites wandering around the dessert for forty-years, and etc. Lent is a forty-day season, and is a season of reflection, of faith growth, of renewal, and of growing our commitment to serve God and others in the name of Jesus Christ.

          As I also said at our recent Ash Wednesday service, some Christians give up things like sweets, or coffee, or Facebook, or television, and etc. for Lent. I believe that it is ok to do this, but I don’t think that we should give things up just to punish ourselves. Instead of trying to punish ourselves, I believe that we should seek to grow closer to Jesus Christ. If giving up something helps you to do this, then great, but I don’t think that we need suffer just for the sake of suffering.

          You see, as Christians we believe that Christ suffered and died for us, so this season of Holy Lent should be about new life, not death. This season of Holy Lent should be about renewal, repentance, giving, loving, and caring, not the opposite.

          If you are giving up something for the forty-days of Lent though, what are you giving up, and why? What can you give away this Lent? What can you do better this Lent? Do you need to pray more? Do you need to love more? Do you feel called to do more for others? Lent isn’t a season where we simply punish ourselves for being sinners, but instead we should turn to and grow in Christ. How are you planning to grow closer to Christ in this season of Lent?

          While we have many examples as I said, in both the Old and the New Testament of periods of time lasting in sevens or forty’s, we have another one of these this morning. This morning, right after Jesus was baptized by his cousin John the Baptist in the Jordan River, the gospel according to Matthew says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished” (Mt. 4:1-2, NRSV). So once again, just like the season of Lent, just like Moses on Mount Sinai, just like Noah in the story of the Ark, “forty days and forty nights” (Mt. 4:2, NRSV). Are you beginning to see these patterns in the Bible more?

          It has always been fascinating to me that we have these numeric patterns in the Old and the New Testament. One the greatest scientific minds in history, Sir Isaac Newton, among many other things, studied the Bible. Sir Isaac Newton became convinced that there was some sort of code, or pattern, or hidden message in the Bible around the sevens, the forty’s, and many other things. Newton studied the Bible incessantly at Trinity College in Cambridge, England, and did not discover any set code, treasure map, and or etc. He also pursued alchemy, as he tried to make gold and silver out other metals and substances. This was also unsuccessful. It certainly is unique though that we have certain allotments of time that repeat over and over in the Bible.

If you remember last Sunday, in part I spoke about how the founder of the Methodist Movement, John Wesley, was an ordained priest in the Church of England, or the Anglican Church, and how he believed in the whole or “general” tenor or scripture. This notion of a whole or a “general” tenor of scripture means that the Old and New Testament scriptures are interrelated, and the ideas and concepts from throughout the Bible can and often do interlink together.

In our lectionary scriptures for this morning, we have a couple of themes that emerge. First, we are given part of the Book of Genesis story of Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden. In this story it says of Adam, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it” (Gen. 2:15, NRSV). God told Adam and then Eve, that the garden was open to them, except the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”.

So what is the first theme then? That God created Adam and Eve with no sin. This mean that humanity started sinless. Adam and Eve were then tempted by the devil, and ate of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”. Adam and Eve were then exiled from the Garden of Eden by God, and sin had then entered the world.

Good created Adam and Eve in the Adam and Eve story, to be without sin. They were, briefly, but then sin entered, and we as humans have been fallen ever since. This means that on our own we are incapable of living without sin. We need God’s grace and love to help us to become whole.

The unchosen lectionary scripture from this morning from Psalm 32 says, “Happy are those who transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in who spirit there is no deceit” (Ps. 32:1-2, NRSV). Another scripture about being freed from sin.

Getting back to the story of Adam and Eve, if they were created without sin, and if they then succumbed to the temptation of sin, then they became sinners. If Adam and Eve failed, and if every succeeding generation after them failed to be sinless, how can we then live free of sin and iniquity? How can we be sinless and upright, if Adam and Eve failed right from the beginning? I mean if God wants to be without sin, then how can we do we do this?

The reason that these lectionary scriptures for this morning are in part bundled together the way they are, is that Jesus Christ is the second Adam. You see Adam failed to live without sin in the Garden of Eden, and this morning Jesus is tempted by the devil for forty-days, and forty-nights. Unlike Adam, unlike Eve, Jesus, and only Jesus, passes the test. Where Adam failed to live sinless, Jesus succeeds. Not only does Jesus succeed, but he first fasts for forty-days and forty-nights, as many great things occurred in the Bible in forty’s. Are you still seeing the connections here?

The Apostle Paul speaks specifically about this in his Epistle or letter to the Romans for this morning. The Apostle Paul, speaking first of Adam in the Garden says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned—sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned where there is no law” (Rom. 5:12-13, NRSV).

The Apostle Paul then writes, “Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those sins were not the like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come” (Rom. 5:14, NRSV).

The Apostle Paul continues by saying, “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God, and the free gift of grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. And the free gift is not like the effect of one man’s sins. For the judgment following on trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses bring justification” (Rom. 5:15-16, NRSV).

The Apostle Paul then ends this reading by saying first of Adam, “For just as by one man’s disobedience the many were sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19, NRSV).

The Apostle Paul is telling us that this theme of God creating us sinless, ended pretty quick with Adam and Eve. The Apostle Paul is also telling us that through Jesus Christ and his cross, that all of sins of humanity, that all of our wrong doings, and all of our transgressions can be forgiven. All we have to do is ask Jesus for forgiveness, and make him the Lord of our lives. This is an open invitation to any and all people.

Well another theme that we see for this morning, particularly in the gospel of Matthew reading for this morning is the idea again of forty-days, which as I have been saying is a pretty common theme throughout the Bible.

So Jesus is born as the savior, the Wise Men go to bring him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. He then grows up, his cousin John the Baptist has just baptized him, and now right after this it’s test time. You see before you officially in the Army, or the Air Force, or the Marin Corp. and etc., if you are an enlisted person, you must first go through basic training.

I remember when I was in Air Force ROTC during my freshman year of college up at SUNY Potsdam. My best friend from high school Scott went on to enlist in the Marine Corps. Scott was always busting on the Air Force. He called it the “Chair Force,” and etc. Scott went through a 12-week basic training to join the Marine Corps., where many other branches of service now have a 6-week basic training.

Scott told me about the most intense part of his basic training towards the end of it, called the “crucible”. In this portion of his training, he said that he and the other Marine Corps. recruits were awake for like three or four days, in a simulated combat situation. It was tough, it was the crucible. This morning, Jesus Christ, the second and successful Adam enters into his crucible, his basic training, before he officially begins his public ministry.

As I said, the gospel says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished” (Mt. 4:1-2, NRSV). So Jesus was hungry, and he was depleted. This is a perfect time to be tempted by the evil one no? So will Jesus break, like Adam and Eve did? Nope.

This morning, Jesus Christ, the son of God, God in the flesh, stands “toe to toe with the devil,” and he doesn’t break. Jesus holds his ground, and further proves that he is the messiah, the one who will die for us on Good Friday. The one who will die and remove our sin, so that through him we may be forgiven, so that we may live abundantly. You see if we are born into sin, if we cannot live without sinning, then we need to be set free. We are free from our sin and our bondage to sin through Jesus dying on the cross to see us free. We are forgiven and wiped clean, if we but ask for it.

This morning, the devil asks Jesus turn stones into bread, as he is hungry. Jesus resists. The devil then takes Jesus to the top of the Temple in Jerusalem and tells him to jump off as angels will catch. Jesus resists. The devil then takes Jesus to a very high mountain, and shows him images of all of kingdoms of the world. The devil tells Jesus that all the wealth and the power of the world will be his, if he would just follow him. Jesus resists.

The gospels then ends by saying, “Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him” (Mt. 4:11, NRSV).

So do we have a weak and wimpy savior? I don’t think so. Where Adam failed, and where all the others failed, Jesus will succeed. Since he will succeed, his life giving sacrifice on the cross will extinguish our sin, our guilt, and our shame, and all we need to do is ask him for forgiveness. It couldn’t be an easier.

In this season of Holy Lent, we are given forty-days and forty-nights to grow closer to Jesus Christ. How will we use this time? Will we realize even more just how loved we are by God, by Jesus? Will we realize even more that through Jesus Christ that we are forgiven? Will you realize that your past is gone, and that you are new creation if Jesus Christ? The one this day went “toe to toe with the devil”. Amen.

Homer Avenue UMC - Ash Wednesday - 03/01/17 Sermon - “What Holy Lent is about"

Ash Wednesday 03/01/17 Homer Avenue UMC

Sermon Title: “What Holy Lent is about”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 51:1-17

                                            

New Testament Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

          My friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ, welcome again on this holy day in the life of the church. This day, Ash Wednesday, marks for us as Christians, the beginning of the season of Lent, or Great Lent, or Holy Lent.

          In the Bible, in both the Old and the New Testaments, we have events that occur in time allotments, such as sevens or forty’s. Moses went up on the mountain for 40-days, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40-years, Noah was in the Ark on the waters for, you guessed it, 40-days.

          In the season of Holy Lent, which comes from the Latin word “Quadragesima,” which means “Fortieth”, is yet another 40-day period, or in this case, a season of the church. If you count up the days from today through Holy Saturday, which is the day before Easter Sunday, there are actually 46-days, but Sundays don’t count during the Lenten Season.

Since Jesus Christ rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, many Christians view every Sunday as a “mini-Easter”. If you have given up something for Lent, then you are not bound to this on Sundays. You are only bound during the 40-days of Lent. This coming Sunday, I will be preaching on Jesus being tempted in the wilderness, for you guessed it, 40-days.

          While in both the Old and New Testaments we have plenty of examples of things occurring in sevens, or forty’s, and etc., the season of Holy Lent is about more than just 40-days. The season of Holy Lent is about more than just a number of days, or a period of time. The season of Holy Lent is about more than just giving up something that we love, like ice cream, or coffee, or Facebook.

          It is true that the season of Holy Lent is about us turning from our sin, repenting, reflecting, and preparing ourselves for the coming crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I would argue though, that Lent is not just about us. For some of us, we give up things, we deprive ourselves, we fast, we reflect, but Lent ultimately is about growing closer to Jesus Christ. I don’t believe then that we are called to give up things we love for Lent, simply to just punish ourselves. Instead our Lenten practices should be chosen in order to bring us closer to God.

          For me in this season of Lent, or Great, Lent, or Holy Lent, I am giving up sweets. All sweets. Now that I have just said this out loud, it doesn’t sound very exciting. I also accidentally forgot, and ate a cookie today to. So I am not off to a good start! For me though, my hope is that giving up sweets, and yes all sweets, will be something that makes me appreciate God’s provision for me more, and will help me grow closer to Jesus Christ.

          With this said, towards the end of the worship service tonight, you will also have the opportunity to receive ashes on your forehead. For some, this is an experience that is really emotional, and makes them feel closer to God. The ashes are not a sacrament, but are a symbol, that we are to be humble before God. That we are to remember what Jesus has done for us all, and what he continues to do for us all every day.

          The practice of ashes on Ash Wednesday goes back as early as the late 500’s AD, but became much more common by the late 1000’s. In many cultures, the ashes are sprinkled on the head of the receiver of ashes, but in our country, we often impose the ashes on the forehead of the receiver of the ashes. One of the scriptures that is often used for Ash Wednesday services, is from Genesis 3:19 that says, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19, NRSV). Jeremiah 6:26 also discussed being in sackcloth and ashes.

          This day is also celebrated all differently in different cultures. In some cultures people crawl to the church on their hands and knees, some cultures might have people whip their backs, and do other painful things.

          It would seem that in some cultures, and in some churches there is still a great notion of Holy Lent being about shame and guilt. This notion that we are supposed to punish ourselves for 40-days because of how wretched and terrible we are. I respect the cultures and churches that have these practices, but I don’t think that Holy Lent needs to be about abusing or harming ourselves.

Did Christ die for us? Yes he did, but Jesus came to bring life, not to destroy it. Jesus took on the cross, so that we wouldn’t have to.

          In growing closer to Christ during Holy Lent the, I believe that anything we can do to deprive ourselves shouldn’t be to punish ourselves. If you fast, then fast to grow closer to Jesus Christ. If you give up something, then do it because it brings you closer to God. More than this, if we are drawing closer to Christ, then how are we sharing this hope with others. Specifically, instead of just giving up things you love, what can you give away in this season of Holy Lent? How can you love others more? How can we make the world a better place each and every day?

          In being Christians, we are part of a historic faith that is nearly 2,000 years old. Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost, to love, heal, and forgive, and to die for the sins of humanity. Yet the world today is still riddled with war, violence, and injustice. Given this, I think that first and foremost that the season of Holy Lent is about us growing closer to Jesus Christ, but part of our faith is transforming the world.

          As I said then, Lent shouldn’t just be about us, but it should also be about what God has called us to each and every day in the world. So in addition to giving up ice cream, how has God called us to live our faith in this season of Holy Lent? To me that is what Holy Lent is about. Lent is about turning from our sin, repenting, recognizing what Jesus has done for us, and growing closer to him. In the process of doing this though, how can we live our faith to individually and corporately change the world?

          In our reading from Psalm 51:1-7 for tonight, it talks about need to ask God’s forgiveness, to turn from sin and death towards God. The scripture says to God, “Hide your face from my sins, and blot out my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast mw away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Ps. 51:9-12a, NRSV).

          In doing this though, are we changed from the inside out? We will work to draw closer to Christ in this season of Holy Lent? If we will, how will it change us, and how will it help us to change others?

          The Apostle Paul then tells us in his second Epistle or letter the church in Corinth, or the Corinthians reading for tonight, that “we are ambassadors for Christ; since God is making his appeal through us” (2 Cor. 5:20a, NSRV). We are called then to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

          The Apostle Paul then says speaking of God, “As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain” (2 Cor. 6:1, NRSV). So take the gift of Jesus Christ seriously, each and every day.

The Apostle Paul then goes on to say, “but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger, by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left” (2 Cor. 6:4-7, NRSV).

          The Apostle Paul is then telling us to draw close to Christ, but that we must also be active in the world and serve others. Holy Lent is about drawing closer to God, but serving others as part of this process.

          In our gospel of Matthew lesson for tonight, Jesus encourages us to pursue a real and an authentic faith. Jesus tells to be humble, to serve to please God, and not for earthly rewards. Jesus tell us not to be hypocritical, especially when we pray. Jesus tells us that if we fast, do it for God, not for earthly validation. Jesus then tells us to not horde wealth and possessions. Jesus tells us lastly, “For where your treasure is, there your hearth will be also” (Mt. 6:21, NRSV).

          To me, the season of Lent is a great season to grow in faith, to turn from sin and darkness, and to grow closer to Jesus Christ. In doing this though, in giving up, are we also serving, loving, and giving away. Jesus came to set us free, but also so that we may do the same for each other. So on this Ash Wednesday, I say blessings in the name of Jesus Christ, and happy Lent! Amen.